Matthew 18:15-20

Several nights ago, I attended my daughter’s middle school open house. After welcoming everyone, the principal highlighted a few school rules and principles of behavior. One of them sounded very much like Matthew 18:15-17. He said, “If you have a problem with a teacher, start with the teacher. If you have a problem with me, don’t go to Barbara Darden.” Everyone laughed. Of course, Ms. Darden is the superintendent of our school district— and his boss.

A fundamental principle of law is that everyone has the right to be confronted by his accuser. And yet, as we relate to people, we regularly deny them that right:

• We find it easier to embrace our false perception of people rather than to seek the truth.
• We find it easier to make assumptions about them rather than to seek clarification.
• We find it easier to say behind people’s backs what we can’t bring ourselves to say to their faces.
• We find it easier to murmur with others who have a critical and complaining spirit rather than to quietly refuse complicity in a conversation that could tear another person down.

We forget that Satan is “the accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10) and that by accusing others we are agreeing with a demonic assessment of them. And so, other people are wounded, relationships broken, hope deferred, God’s Spirit grieved, and lives altered forever.

I wonder how different our lives might be if we lived by the standard of 1 Corinthians 13:4—7 or Romans 13:10. Maybe we would begin to fulfill the scriptural admonition to love one another at all times, not just when it is easy or convenient. And by first loving people, maybe our assumptions would be positive, our tone gentle, and our goal redemptive for others and ourselves.

I want to know, can you love me when I disappoint you? Can you see my strengths and not be blinded by my weaknesses? And when you point out the piece of sawdust in my eye, will you be able to see the beam of timber in your own (Matthew 7:3)? This is how God’s people live in community.

If we have anything against anyone, especially a brother or sister in the faith, we have the obligation before God to approach them alone, aware of our own faults and being willing to receive correction like we are prepared to give it. None of us is perfect; all of us need one another’s help to be made whole and useful for God’s purposes. As Proverbs says, “Iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17). It might not always feel good, but it may be necessary, and it can only happen when the two of us come together in love and truth.

Finally, be aware that loving another person in the Spirit of Christ might mean leaving him alone. Maybe his dull edge won’t receive sharpening. If you can’t say something to a person because he is unapproachable, don’t say it to anyone else behind his back. As a co-laborer with Christ, trust in God’s grace and let the Lord help him if that is possible.

I have a feeling my daughter’s principal would appreciate that.

–Don Kimball

Romans 8:26-39

There it was, towering in the sky above me like an atmospheric report card on my life: Two clouds in the shape of a perfectly formed “C minus.” Great. It couldn’t have been a floating elephant or a fat baby. No, of all the clouds in the sky that morning, mine had to be “C—“. What a way to start the day.

We all, to some degree, look to our accomplishments as a means of determining self-worth. While God does consider the things I’ve done in this life as a basis for my heavenly reward (Mt 5:12; 6:1; Eph 6:8; Rev 22:12), my value to him isn’t based on my accomplishments. My value, my true worth, is based preeminently on the truth of God’s love for me. His love for me proves my worth. And even when my achievement fails to measure up to some worldly standard He will not change his mind about loving me.

God’s passionate and irrevocable love motivates him to work for my good. He does this when I return his love and align my life with the purpose of being conformed to his Son, Jesus. When I am aligned with God, he empowers and equips me so that I will be “more than a conqueror.” No achievement that he has purposed for my life is beyond my reach, and nothing can separate me from the love that makes that achievement possible.

As I continued gazing at the sky, I witnessed a reassuring spectacle. My “C—“ was erased by nothing more than a little wind.

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

My family visited a church this morning. In fact, we were the only visitors in the small congregation—evident from the surprised and effusively warm welcome we received upon walking in the door. This is a church that evidently isn’t accustomed to having many visitors. At the appointed time for the worship service, most of the seats in the nearly dark room were empty and no one else entered the church to fill them.

A few minutes late, the band emerged from a hidden door at the back of the stage, took their positions, and launched into the first song as lights flooded the stage in the dark, smoky room. The music was so painfully loud and sonically distorted that it was impossible to discern the melody with certainty or to enter into worship. Even my teenage son said so. He’s a bass player and knows something about sound systems and balancing sound with mixers.

Off to one side of the stage, a woman danced zestfully to the beat of the drums, skipping and swaying and leaping while waving a large Star of David attached to a flowing banner that shimmered and glittered in the light. Backlight from the stage made her long white skirt semi-transparent, revealing that she was wearing white shorts or granny panties underneath. It was hard to tell. King David danced in his underwear (2 Samuel 6:14), so maybe this was just the latest worship trend. We’ll all be dancing in our underwear soon. It could be a great new evangelistic tool. Think of the unbelievers who would come to watch and then hear the gospel and get saved….

After the band played about three songs, and while the music continued, the hefty senior pastor strode forward with a swagger, took hold of a microphone and began exhorting the crowd to worship. Within ten or fifteen minutes, he segued into a pre-sermon address about faith coming by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). He said this was something God had given him that morning before eating his breakfast cereal (amazing self-control for such a well-fed man!). Pacing back and forth on the floor in front of the stage, he then bounded up the stairs and down again, and—impressively—even stood on a chair in the front row that was able to endure his massive weight. He waved his arms, shouted at us and leapt to the floor, strutting to and fro while he continued shouting incessant biblical insights and exhortations to the congregation over the near deafening music.

Within another ten or fifteen minutes, his audience had been overwhelmed by the musical fusillade and beaten into submission by the sound of his voice. They were ready to heed his call to come meet the Lord. So, waving an arm in the air, he commanded everyone forward to worship at the altar. Most people complied. We stood by our seats along with about a dozen elderly people and young children who were some distance away. And the band played on while people cried out, and some—at his instruction—got down on their knees to seek God. Noticing my family standing alone, he looked directly at us—and, uncomfortably, right at me—and said something like, “…and I’m sensing from God that there are visitors here this morning who don’t know Jesus. Now is your time! There is a place here at the altar for you! Come to God and get saved!” Great. We’d been “outed” in front of the entire church. He might as well have redirected a spotlight on us.

Of course, if God had really been speaking to him, God would have told him that I began my life as a born again Christian at the age of 18. Since that time, I have followed Christ and continued to seek and serve him. I have been ordained many years and served in various churches in several ministry areas. My salvation and call to ministry are beyond question. In fact, I have personally explained the gospel to hundreds of people who have received Christ. But the pastor knew only that we were resisting his appeal to come forward and—thus—must certainly be resisting God for salvation. Of course, it could have been the way I was dressed. My yellow gingham shirt was tucked neatly into British khaki slacks, both from Brooks Brothers. In contrast, the preacher’s portly frame was concealed by a black untucked shirt that had a large iron-on transfer on the back and that, by now, was soaked with sweat. It’s easy to see why I looked like such a sinner.

Having stood for about forty-five minutes by this time, we sat down and waited on the show to end. The word “show” aptly describes the superficial scene we had been observing. The pastor’s showmanship was a poor knockoff of bad Pentecostal evangelists. He had learned some mannerisms and techniques for whipping up a crowd. But his manipulative approach was an unappealing substitute for the genuinely convicting presence of the Holy Spirit. He was so full of himself that he had no room left for Jesus.

At about the time when all this was running through my brain, my wife leaned over and shouted into my ear over the racket that she was thinking of leaving, which was pretty interesting. Because about two minutes later, while the pastor continued spewing his virtually unintelligible spiritual insights on Elijah and Romans, he said, “And listen to me, people, if you’re not feeling God’s presence right now you need to get up and walk out the door.” It was the only thing he said that spoke to me. We weren’t feeling God’s presence, so we did. We got up and walked out the door. We didn’t want to stay for his regularly scheduled sermon—which hadn’t yet started. The appetizer had left a bitter aftertaste that unsettled our stomachs. It was time to go.

What made our experience especially sad was that the pastor’s denomination has been especially effective at reaching unchurched people with the Gospel and growing churches. Admittedly, he is not the best representative of his fellow clergy. But it is still a wonder to me that any preacher could be so evidently devoid of God’s love that he would substitute for authentically anointed ministry nothing but a “resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

Preacher, I don’t care how much noise you can make. I don’t care how you can manipulate a crowd. Assuming your doctrine is biblically solid, all I care about is whether you have God’s love in you and that you are showing it to me. If you don’t and aren’t, you have shown me nothing and you will gain nothing of eternal value. You won’t see me back at your church.

Question from a Friend

I have a question for you. I am asking because I trust your opinion. I was at a store to buy groceries. The staff was working on Easter displays, but many of the shelves where bare. There were no eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, or cheese. As I was walking through the store, I noticed a manager and another associate so I told them that the management needs to spend more time stocking shelves and less time on their Easter display.

The associate, a member of my church, complained to my pastor. My pastor called me late that night, at 9:45pm, and verbally attacked me over the phone. He said that I behaved poorly and was a poor representation of the church. I was not displaying Christlike characteristics.

The thing is, though, I was very polite in the store and never raised my voice to the associate or manager. I just stated my complaint. I feel that I have done nothing wrong. I told my pastor that if the associate took my comment personally, I apologize. Nothing in my complaint was directed at her.

Two days later, my wife and I had a meeting with the pastor and church leadership. The attack started almost immediately after we sat down. I listened for awhile and then I stated that I could not submit any longer to the pastor’s authority. We terminated our leadership position and left the church.

This was not the first attack we received from the pastor. I felt as if the bonds of trust where broken and that I no longer could trust him to lead. Do you think I should have handled this differently? Or do you think I should have stayed in the church?

My Response

I appreciate the confidence you have in me. I hope my response lives up to that.

First, your initial comment might have come across in a manner other than you intended. You said, “the management needs to spend more time stocking shelves and less time on their Easter display.” This might have sounded judgmental and condemning to the sales associate. Whatever the management does is really up to them, however it might affect their business. And sales associates are hired to do whatever the store manager wants, even if it is setting up an Easter display when they should be stocking shelves. A less confrontational comment might have been, “I see you’re busy working on the Easter display. Do you have someone who could help me find the eggs?”

Second, regarding your role in the situation, I’ve found that, even when the other person is largely at fault, an apology from me can help defuse a potentially explosive situation. I’m not always aware how I’m coming across to someone else and I don’t have the ability to read their mind or know their heart like God does. This means that either of us might make false assumptions about the other person’s intent based upon things as subtle as facial appearance or vocal inflection.

Several weeks ago, a woman in the church confronted me harshly over a song that was planned, but that I didn’t have the congregation sing. We were simply out of time. But the song had special meaning for her and she demanded, “I want to know why you didn’t have the congregation sing that song!” My apology brought the intensity of the situation down several notches and helped me avoid what would have been a much more difficult confrontation later. She walked away feeling satisfied. I walked away feeling intimidated and angry about her attitude, but relieved that I still had my job. I learned later that the song was sung at her mother’s funeral.

The Biblical principle here is that “a soft [gentle] word turns away wrath [anger].” By responding gently, we bring the intensity of the situation down a few notches where, eventually, we can all talk about it rationally.

Having said all this, you seemingly offered an appropriate apology. You said, “if the associate took my comment personally, I apologize.” This apology might have influenced the situation more positively had you offered it to the sales associate.

Third, sometimes my opinions aren’t worth sharing. This is because the other person might have an equally valid opinion, or because I might not have enough information to form a correct opinion, or because the other person might not have what Jesus called “ears to hear” the truth. In situations like yours, generally, I’ve found that I should wait a day before expressing my opinion to the person. This gives me time to think it through and to assess whether addressing the situation is a good idea. A question to ask is, “Is this a hill worth fighting for and dying on?” A short postponement also gives me time to share the situation with my wife and to get her opinion. She’s a pretty good judge of whether I need to address it or just let it go.

Fourth, regarding the associate’s role, it appears as though she overreacted and handled the situation improperly. She felt offended by your comment and should have talked to you about it, rather than report you to a higher authority. The senior pastor’s first words to the church member should have been something like this, “According to scripture you need to talk to West first, before involving anyone else—including me. Have you done that?” When the pastor responds as this one did, he is acting as the policeman of the church, enforcing the rule of law rather than taking the pastoral role of a mediator and healer. He violated the same principle when he confronted you the second time before an audience of church leaders.

Fifth, there are times when a pastor does have to confront people. No matter how gentle his words, his firmness might come across as unyielding and unreasonable—even when it is biblical and warranted. I didn’t personally observe any of these encounters, so I don’t know the extent to which your perception of the situation conforms to the pastor’s actual approach.

Finally, you should probably find another church. Your attitude or words were partly responsible for the situation. But this situation, and apparently others, was not handled well by the senior pastor. No pastor should ever make a member of his flock feel “attacked.” Such an affront from him can do nothing but break “the bonds of trust” that you have in him. If you can’t trust him to lead you, mentor you, and care for you, then you should find another flock with a better shepherd.

I hear you bro and I feel your pain. The worst part of being in the ministry is the people you have to lead. Some, of course, understand your role and theirs, and they live out a grace-filled life that is a product of the vibrant life of Christ within them. But, in my experience, most Christians are stretched too thinly with family, work, and social commitments to take on the reflective life of prayer that gives life and fruit to a person’s faith. So, we as leaders endure the stress of ministering to a dysfunctional church that never quite measures up to its potential. The Epistles would never have been written by Paul, Peter, and John had all the churches in their day truly lived in the zone where Jesus blesses and empowers people.

Sadly, this takes a costly toll on many pastors and their families. I’ve seen studies showing that the majority of pastors are overly stressed by the demands of ministry, dissatisfied with their employment and have suffered sexual temptation (if not, sin). I believe those things are related. Many pastors are looking for an escape from the stress of ministry. Some find an immoral outlet in the church; others find an escape door.

Having said that, I’d like to point out that your training and experience in ministry have made you a valuable asset in the Kingdom of Heaven. You’re tired. Maybe a three- or six-month sabbatical is all you need. Maybe your church would consider continuing your salary for that length of time. I would hope so. You would have to build a strong case to present to your board with studies supporting your need for a sabbatical and with the policies of various denominations. You would also have to present a plan for the ministry of the church continuing in your absence. Three pastors in my area recently took three-month sabbaticals. Each of them began preparing their church boards and congregations a year ahead of time.

If God leads you out of ministry for a period of time, I’d like to encourage you not to leave without a plan. You would need an income from an employer that you like, doing work that you would enjoy. Also, you should consider how you could best reinvest your knowledge of ministry into Kingdom work. I know from experience that the inability to reconnect with ministry is deeply depressing when you have something to give and no one wants it. How would you handle being called but never chosen? There are so many licensed and ordained ministers looking for a pastorate that church search committees often receive hundreds of applications. Yours, as mine, might be lost in that pile and rejected in favor of younger applicants.

If you would consider a long-term hiatus from ministry, and if you have savings, I would recommend using some of it to acquire training from a college or technical school that would provide you with some updated skills. You’ll need that in order to be competitive in a job market that is already overloaded with young, highly educated applicants. No secular employer will be impressed by your seminary degree and your 25-year resume pastoring churches. That’s because they don’t have a point of reference for knowing how extensive your managerial skills may be. You might have led a staff, presided over countless board meetings, balanced budgets, and managed a school. But to an employer in the world outside your church, you’re nothing more than a narrow-minded, bigoted preacher–because they’ve heard a few. Also, as a former pastor, you’ll be viewed suspiciously by some people. Pastors just don’t leave their churches–do they? Isn’t it usually because of a moral failure?

If you’re considering starting a business, please consider that the majority of small businesses in America fail. You would need considerable capital, and training, and time to make any new business succeed. If you have the money you can get the training at a local community college or through a small business association. But if you have the money and the training, you’ll still need plenty of time for your business to succeed. That could take years. Can your family and budget endure the wait? Also, setting aside factors like location and marketing, most businesses succeed because the person at the helm has the vision and drive to create interest in the product or service. Do you have an entrepreneurial mind and personality?

Friend, I’m not a pessimist; I’m a realist. My experience in ministry has taught me to appraise my life objectively and honestly. I hope you’ll do the same. Your success in your present church may not be repeated. Are you prepared for that emotionally? Is your wife? Are your children? My children miss the attention they received as the pastor’s kids. They took pride in their father having an honored position in the church. Hearing people call their father, “Pastor Don”, meant more to them than they could articulate at the time.

My hope and prayer is that you will count the cost of leaving your church–and that, if you feel it is worth paying, you leave only when you have a plan for your life, family, ministry, and employment.

Praying for you!

From a Senior Pastor

Dear Pastoral Staff:

I’m praying about leaving my church this summer. The church is doing fine, but I’ve never had time off to get refreshed and retooled for my ministry. I’ve never had a sabbatical or anything and I am just tired of doing pastoral work. I just don’t have it in me. I love preaching but don’t really love the other stuff that goes with church. The church deserves more, and my family needs something else, as well as me. I’m not leaving in the midst of crisis; I do believe this is going to be a good spring for us. I’m working toward leaving on an up note,…but where do I go next? What does someone who’s been pastoring for over twenty-five years do? And how do I get another job? It’s not like I can make public to my church that I want to get out of ministry and do something else. Networking with people can work well when searching for employment, but not when the network is your parishioners and the pastors of other churches.

Exhausted from Ministry

The tension on the field was palpable. Both teams fought for every yard, play by play. The crowd in the stands raised a deafening cheer with every first down and with every hard-won point added to the board. Then it happened. On a breakaway play, a wide receiver went long, deep into the enemy’s territory. Despite pressure from defensive tackles rushing around him, the quarterback found his man and launched a beautiful pass that fell safely into the extended hands of his receiver who burned every ounce of adrenaline to elude two pursuers for the most exciting touchdown of the game. It was a beautifully executed play. Caught up in the moment, I leapt to my feet, applauding, and was about to let out a loud cheer when I noticed… that I was standing alone. Everyone around me was silent. The touchdown was for the other team.

Local churches are like that. We’re all in the same game, trying to advance God’s ball to the somewhat different goals that God has given us. Despite our shared faith and calling, we are so fearful of the other team getting ahead of us that we can’t find the will to applaud their success. When a neighboring church makes a breakaway play we jealously despise their triumphal moment. We sit quietly, usually without comment or, sometimes, with a derogatory complaint. We mistakenly believe that we are competing against each other. After all, there are only so many fish to fry, only so many people in the town where we live who are potential members and tithers. We have to fight for every living, breathing person. Don’t we? We have to fight for every inch of the field.

I wonder sometimes about small churches that won’t send people to the training events sponsored by larger, more successful, churches. I wonder about churches that send mission teams to assist Christians halfway around the world but that won’t support a local mission with whatever resources it needs. I wonder about senior pastors who won’t take the time to build a friendship with the senior pastors of neighboring churches and to partner with them in community ministry.

Consider two renegades.

One senior pastor each year hosts a community “Good Friday Worship Service” in which pastors from seven local churches are invited to speak over a period of several hours. Each pastor addresses one of the seven last words of Christ in a fifteen-minute homily after a musician or group from his church has led everyone in a song. The host pastor assumes the risk that his congregants might find the preaching or music of a neighboring church more appealing. They might leave and go there to worship. But they don’t. His congregation is thriving.

Another senior pastor of a large successful church befriended the pastors of three small nearby churches. One Sunday, during a series on “unity” he invited all three of them to his worship service where they were seated on the platform. He introduced them, and then asked them to talk about their vision for their churches. Graciously, the senior pastor invited his church members to visit one of their churches and to consider joining it. Then he prayed for his friends. How did this affect his church? Not at all. His worship attendance remained the same; weekly giving didn’t drop. What he gained was the perception that he was a selfless, generous, warm-hearted senior pastor who is as interested in the success of the Kingdom of Heaven as he in the success of his own church.

The Bible underscores that our success is enhanced by viewing ministry differently than opposing teams view each other on a football field. Search for “churches” in your Bible and you will find numerous references to growing churches collaborating in the progress of the gospel. There is an intrinsic cause-effect relationship between the Spiritual unity of doctrine and mission and the Spiritual blessing of growth and prosperity. (Psalm 133:1-3)

So what was the outcome of my embarrassing moment in the stands? Our team won the game. Of course, we would have won anyway—even if everyone had stood to celebrate the other team’s solitary moment of glory.

“Why is it that the worse a person felt about herself or himself [in the Gospels], the more likely they sought out Jesus? Yet,… hurting people, who [once] flocked to Jesus when he lived on earth, no longer feel welcome among his followers. What would it take for the “church” to change this?”

A pastor-friend of mine named Scott posted that question on Facebook. In response, we might be tempted to cast blame on non-believers. After all, their sin has separated them from God—right? They are under a cloud of darkness because of the Evil One—right? They have rejected God’s free offer of forgiveness and regeneration—right? All that is true biblically, but none of those responses addresses the fundamental problem presented by my friend. The spiritual condition of people has remained unchanged over the past 2,000 years—but their response to the Gospel is vastly different. People flocked to Jesus then; people walk right past him now, because they find his Body—us—so easy to dismiss.

We could consider the biblical principle of “seed-time and harvest” with regard to our witness and people’s response. Our natural tendency is to adhere to the idea that to get more we have to do more. By working harder at witnessing, we’ll reach more people and more of them will receive Christ and begin attending our church. After we’ve done all we can, if they still won’t come to Christ and our church, we’ll just “shake the dust off our feet” and let them go to hell—another biblical principle. I’d like to consider, instead, this biblical principle: to get more we have to be more. I believe this is why Jesus was so effective at drawing people to himself and to his message of salvation.

My son confided something in me that might provide some insight. A friend of Aaron’s rebuked him last week at school for saying something inappropriate. The rebuke went something like this: “When we’re at school we represent the church, so we need to be careful what we say and do.” While accepting his friend’s correction, on the lips of his friend, something about this seemed very wrong to my son.

Several days later, Aaron spent the night at the same friend’s house. Late in the evening, the friend and a third boy from church told several dirty jokes. When my son rebuked his friend in turn, the friend said, “You don’t understand, when we’re at school we represent the church. Now we’re by ourselves, so we can be ourselves.”

I think the boy had it wrong on at least two counts.

First, the best Christians don’t represent their local church; they represent Jesus and are His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). To the extent that they tap into his higher power and reflect his glory, non-believers will see him—and be drawn to him and to his Body, the local church. Churches are as imperfect as the people who fill their pews and board rooms. Why would you, as a Christian, seek to represent a flawed entity when you have been called to represent the King of kings and Lord of lords? Set your sights and standards higher!

Second, the best Christians are consistent in their speech and behavior in all areas of life. When they have a different set of standards for school, or work, or church, or friends, or home, they cease to be people of integrity—and are the worst possible example of a Christ-follower. Jesus used a word to describe incongruity between a person’s professed faith and daily life. He called them hypocrites. People need to see Jesus in us before they will hear about Jesus from us. Can you, as a Christian, honestly say to a non-believer because of your exemplary life and faith, “Follow me as I follow Christ?” (I Corinthians 11:1)

God doesn’t intend the local church to be an elite social club with exclusive membership at a specific address. The church is the people, and wherever they are the Body of Christ is present in the world. Many people aren’t drawn to Jesus through the local church because they don’t see Jesus in the church when the church is in the world. On the other hand, when Christians act consistently like people who have been transformed by the grace of a loving and forgiving God there will be plenty of wounded people who feel drawn to the followers of Jesus and find welcome in his healing embrace. And having found the welcome of his Spirit in the world where they live, they will be drawn to the welcome of his Body in the building where we gather together.

Charles Colson is one of my favorite writers and speakers. I have read several of his books and have always appreciated his cultural and political Breakpoint commentary. There’s one exception: Colson’s commentary titled, “Worship Wars,” in which he relies heavily on comments of Dr. David T. Williams about the right kind of music for worship. Here, Colson quotes from the article “Durable Hymns,” published in the July/August 2009 issue of Touchstone Magazine. While I see the value in some of Williams’ points (and Colson’s) regarding worship music, I disagree with several of them. However, I’ll limit my response to the following.

First, according to Colson, Williams claims that composers of “praise choruses seem to ignore all the rules of good composition…” This opinion would seem to be invalidated by the numerous college courses, seminars, and books on the subject of contemporary worship composition. In truth, there are many valid styles of worship music. We should appreciate the unique contribution of them all to the worship repertoire. For that reason, I occasionally include a contemporary arrangement of a traditional hymn in the contemporary worship service. Also, this year, as in years past, we planned an all-hymn worship service in solidarity with the Hymn Festival celebrated in the traditional worship service.

Second, I find the following comment puzzling:

“Now, some songwriters are creating excellent music today. But, warns Williams, only those musicians who are musically gifted, and historically, biblically, and theologically trained are qualified to help churches choose the best new music ‘as a supplement to the church’s rich musical heritage.’”

Presumably, Williams is of the opinion that contemporary worship composers, musicians, and worship leaders are not “musically gifted.” I strongly disagree and could point to several worship musicians whose gifts on their instrument are as impressive as what I have heard from classically trained musicians. In fact, some of them have received classical training and have chosen contemporary music as an effective vehicle for reaching younger listeners and enabling their worship. I could also name worship composers who are as gifted in writing songs for worship as any hymn composer, and I could name worship leaders whose skill enables congregations to experience the presence of God in every worship service.

Furthermore, according to Williams, contemporary worship leaders who are not “historically, biblically, and theologically trained” are not qualified to select songs for worship. This comment assumes that contemporary worship leaders have not received such training, which is a false assumption. If his point about worship leaders not being qualified to select songs for worship were true, there would then be tens of thousands of churches throughout our country and around the world worshiping in a style that is presumably inauthentic (from his viewpoint). This would beg an observation about God’s apparent blessing on these churches, as evidenced by their numerical growth and spiritual maturity, despite God’s disapproval of their worship style. Of course, God’s favor on those churches is a consequence of His approval.

Speaking personally, I hold two earned degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in Music (classical, traditional) and a Master of Divinity. These degrees have, in my opinion, provided me with considerable training in music, Bible, history, and theology, and, I might add, qualify me to choose music for worship—according to Williams’ standard. Admittedly, my musical preference was also formed by popular culture, as is the musical preference of many new people who are attracted to worship services with popular (contemporary) music.

If I could respond to Williams directly, I would suggest that he becomes more knowledgeable of how God has used music throughout church history and that he broadens his exposure to what God is doing through music today.

Colson and Williams support the theme that there is a “right and wrong kind” of worship music. I wholeheartedly agree! However, not as they have defined it. In my view, the right type of worship music enables people to worship God with a cultural style that is familiar and meaningful to them. Using this definition, the “right” style of worship music for a classically trained person might be different from that of someone who was not exposed to classical and traditional music in a church. Many people in our country had no exposure to a church prior to becoming Christians as adults. The music of their heart is very different from that of someone who grew up in a traditional church. For that reason, there are churches that use music with a popular style, country style, jazz style, classical style, and more. And as we leave our borders, we find that there are many other worship styles around the world. I have worshiped with deeply devoted Christians in Mexico, Jamaica and the Philippines whose preferred worship style reflects their culture more than American culture. I submit that their music is equally valid as a vehicle for worship.

In another essay, “Why Evangelicals Can’t Write,” Williams is equally prejudicial in favor of evangelical authors from a “liturgical tradition” whose writings have “literary value,” and against all other evangelical authors. Using his definition, Max Lucado, Andy Stanley, Phillip Yancy, and others simply don’t make the cut. Such authors have, in my opinion, performed an invaluable service to the Body of Christ by making Christian doctrine practical and accessible to the average Christian. Williams fails to recognize their contribution.

Throughout my years of serving Christ, I have encountered a few high-brow Christians who ardently believe they are doing God a favor by inciting, through their criticism of other evangelicals, division in the Church. I don’t understand their motive, except that it cannot be born from a genuine love for the Body of Christ, which is the Church. So it would seem that the source of “worship wars”, wherever they may exist, is not to be found in music as much as in the attitude of the heart (Philippians 2:5—11).

How can a part of the Body wound another part of the Body and find joy in it? How can they feel justified by such maliciousness? There is a certain perversity in any willful activity that not only wounds other Christians but weakens the Body as a whole. Everyone suffers from that wound—even the protagonist. Rather than fueling the absurd notion of “worship wars,” perhaps Colson and Williams should acknowledge that those of us who worship God in “spirit and in truth” worship Him in various forms that are permissible by the Word of God, and that are received and enjoyed by the same God who welcomes our cultural diversity.

REFERENCES

“Worship Wars: How Do We Determine Musical Excellence?,” Charles Colson, Breakpoint Commentary, August 6, 2009: http://www.informz.net/pfm/archives/archive_823488.html

“Durable Hymns,” Dr. Donald T. Williams, Touchstone Magazine, July/August 2009: http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/issue.php?id=151

• This article has been removed from the Touchstone Magazine website.

“Why Evangelicals Can’t Write,” Dr. Donald T. Williams, September 12, 2007: http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:98P9CdgrP0sJ:theuniversitychurch.info/oldWebsite/public_html/williamsessay1.doc+%22Donald+Williams%22+%22Walter+Wangerin%22&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

• In this essay, Williams’ comments about a theology of art are thought-provoking.

Seeing her didn’t raise my expectations. A gray-haired woman, who looked like she had been resuscitated from a mortuary, shuffled up to the pulpit, slowly unfolded several pieces of paper and started talking about her ministry in the church with a time-worn southern drawl. The idea was that she would tell us what her ministry does and why it’s important to the Kingdom of Heaven, and then the congregation would drop some extra cash in the offering plate to support it.

Everyone was attentive at the beginning, but then, three stories and ten minutes later, as she meandered all over God’s green earth, we were wondering if she was going to let the pastor preach his sermon. Maybe she was also going to give the altar call and benediction. I was just hoping she’d let us sing another song—but even that appeared unlikely.

Along the way, two of her awkward stories about ministry volunteers showed them to be wondrously inept. I wondered how the church could expect me to give anything to a ministry that had such buffoons as volunteers and such poor spokespeople. It became clear that her memory and sense of place weren’t as strong as they used to be. Why did the leaders of the church ever give her a microphone? The ministry and its volunteers were probably far better than she represented. Probably.

Now, I’ve been to this church before, and this is something they appear to do frequently, either to raise money for a ministry or simply to highlight a personal testimony. The outcome is usually better—but not by much.

So—all you lay speakers—listen to me. When speaking in a church service, if you haven’t said something to grab my attention within the first thirty seconds my mind starts looking for an exit. And if you pass two minutes, you’ll find me far away on a tropical island sipping fruit smoothies in a hammock under a grove of palm trees. Nearby, the gentle waves of a sapphire lagoon caress the virgin sand. Please don’t even try to steal me away from my imaginary paradise by regaining my attention. My little island is so much better.

Pastor, why would you do this to your audience? Do you know how this reflects on your ministry? Apparently, not. So I’d like to suggest that you adopt three non-negotiable rules for non-professional speakers—if you feel a need to give them a microphone:

• NEVER give a microphone to someone who hasn’t been thoroughly vetted and approved. In other words, a qualified staff member can attest to this person’s Christian character and to his speaking ability.

• NEVER permit a person to speak who has not submitted a manuscript for approval. Extemporaneous speakers aren’t allowed. Neither are outlines. Every word must be written on paper and read from the paper. Everything that is written must conform to Christian doctrine and to the mission and vision of the church.

• NEVER approve a manuscript that exceeds 500 words or 2 minutes when read. As a general rule, shorter is better. Use the KISS acronym: Keep It Short and Simple. Your speaker doesn’t have to tell everything about the ministry just the most compelling part. There’s a saying that should drive you, “Always leave them [your audience] wanting more.”

And if the lay speaker strays from the approved text, NEVER invite him back. Why not? Because he has made your ministry look unprofessional, he’s made you look weak as a leader, and he’s offended the congregational members that have placed their trust in you. A bad guest speaker reflects poorly on your ministry. If you do that too many times you’ll risk losing people’s confidence and loyalty. You might also lose them to another church—and I’ll join the exodus. Or maybe I’ll just return to my tropical island.